Angling For Iron Ore in Streams

It may not have the allure of trout fishing, but Chinese farmers are cashing in on the world metals boom by fishing with magnets for lumps of iron ore in local streams.

"It sounds unbelievable, but it really happens in many mining areas," a manager of a mine in the eastern province of Anhui said. "They tie magnets to steel wires, and fish for waste iron ore in the streams," he added.

Domestic steel mills are happy to buy their "catch”, since China's rapidly growing steel output has strained domestic mines while sky-high international shipping rates have pushed up the price of imported ore.

Many of the mines are located in rural areas and the waste ore washes downstream through farms.